Aland points out that Origen’s defense of infant baptism (3rd c.) proves that some people were not baptizing infants. It thus stands (Aland contends) that the plausibility remains that infant baptism was not an apostolic practice, after all.

This whole section and the next 5-6 pages that I read a few days later contained strong evidence that Jeremias went too far in his analysis and interpreation of the early church fathers, as he attempted to justify the practice of baptizing infants.

“By celebrating the Passover with his disciples, Jesus turns friends into family.”

Jamieson highlights a point of discontinuity between the Old and the New: in the Old Covenant, a family celebrated the Passover together. Under the New Covenant, friends get to celebrate together – it is no longer only as families.

***pp.114-123 – great section with 10 answers for “Why Suffering Exists?”, culminating in the more important question of “Who?” – “Who is it that understands suffering and has walked this road before?” (i.e. Jesus!!)

If you are familiar with orthodox understandings of Scripture’s inspiration, inerrancy, sufficiency, and authority, you can skip the first 5 chapters.

They are very solid and easy-to-read, and thus would be a helpful resource for those who are unfamiliar, and even for those who are familiar with it but are skeptical or disinclined to believe it’s true.

So far (up through mid-way into chapter 7, I believe), I think I agree with most of what Alsup has said. She is a complementarian, as am I, but she very carefully relays Scripture’s view of women in a way that is accurate, God-glorifying, and winsome.

In particular, she even explicitly opposes some of the egalitarian voices that are out there such as Rachel Held Evans.

***denotes future article forthcoming

RATIONALE:

Gonna’ try to start keeping an online record of my reading for work. This will: 1) show others the types of things they could be reading, too; 2) will help me keep a searchable record of the topics I read about, and 3) help me start generating article ideas. I need to become a better writer. In the past, when inspiration has hit (to write more frequently) I often don’t have more than one idea at a time. This will help me keep a longer list of things I need to write about. Lastly, the frequency of questions from people (in the church) has increased in the last year and this approach will help me collect my thoughts in one place.

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